Early Season Coues Advice

[desertdwellerdyl]

I have an early season coues deer hunt in Southern AZ starting this friday (I'm stoked), I've been scouting and have a buck (70" maybe, honestly it doesn't matter to me) already spotted/located.

This past Sunday, I was crossing a saddle to get to another high point to glass the West/NW side of an adjacent hill after glassing the eastside of another in the morning. I came across the buck crossing the saddle as well, he was crossing E to NW and I was crossing S to N.

I stopped, let him pass (within 150-200 yards), he never broke his stride or seemed bothered by my presence. We were down wind, and he may have seen me but didn't show it.

Outside of this buck, I've only seen does in this area. My question is how should I play this? My plan right now is to go to my usual glassing spot 30 minutes before sunrise, glass until 30 minutes after sunrise, and then hike on over to the saddle, get set up for a shot and wait for him to cross. If for some reason, his pattern changes, gonna glass the NW face of the hill he walked around too.

Also, planning on glassing the NW face thursday afternoon to try and spot him the day before.

This is my first coues hunt, so just looking for advice from more experienced hunters. From research it seems Coues are pretty habitual, but don't have any experience to back this up. Any thoughts/advice is welcome, Thank you!

 

[Mattman215]

How did it go ?

 

[100%DIYazCOUES]

Glass longer than 30 minutes after sunrise. I wouldn’t move to look at bedding areas until 10 or 11ish

 

[GambolingQuail]

Glass longer than 30 minutes after sunrise. I wouldn’t move to look at bedding areas until 10 or 11ish

I agree. Stay glassing for hours until like 9 am ish and then start looking at shadier slopes depending how cold it is. I often times won't even see my first buck until 9-10 am some days

 

[AZBG]

I agree. Stay glassing for hours until like 9 am ish and then start looking at shadier slopes depending how cold it is. I often times won't even see my first buck until 9-10 am some days

Agreed. I hunt the northern units but all the bucks I've killed on the early hunt have been between 10am and noon. Usually see does and fawns first thing in the morning and then don't catch the bucks until they stand up from their beds when the sun hits them and they start moving to the shade.

 

[Babarkidd]

How did it go ?

 

[GambolingQuail]

Agreed. I hunt the northern units but all the bucks I've killed on the early hunt have been between 10am and noon. Usually see does and fawns first thing in the morning and then don't catch the bucks until they stand up from their beds when the sun hits them and they start moving to the shade.

Yeah that's super interesting I've never given that much thought before. I would bet that 70+% of the bucks I see are after 9am. I'll normally see 10-15 does before I see my first buck. I hunt the southern units.

 

[Babarkidd]

Interesting